


The Loss and Acquisition of Hearts and Souls

by CaliforniaQueen



Category: Ancient Greek Religion & Lore, Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Angst and Fluff and Smut, Bad Disney puns, Ben Is Happy to Oblige, But just in a dream, Curse Breaking, Curses, Deer Hunting, Enthusiastic Consent, F/M, Fish out of Water, Happy Ending, Images of pregnancy, Mythology - Freeform, Nereids (Ancient Greek Religion & Lore), Not Beta Read, Nymphs & Dryads, Oral Sex, References to Ancient Greek Religion & Lore, Rey needs a teacher, Semi-Public Sex, Sex, Threat of assault from the god Alpheus, True Love, Virgin Rey (Star Wars), You Don't Have Gills Do You
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-14
Updated: 2021-03-01
Packaged: 2021-03-14 23:15:42
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 11,307
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29426577
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CaliforniaQueen/pseuds/CaliforniaQueen
Summary: Rey is a lonely water nymph, cursed to live alone for eternity unless a human falls in love with her. Enter one Ben Solo, who stumbles across her by accident.
Relationships: Rey/Ben Solo, Rey/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren
Comments: 36
Kudos: 70
Collections: 2021 Reylo MonsterLoving Valentines





	1. Chapter 1

_A long time ago, and far, far away…_

“Artemis, the protector of women, goddess of the hunt, guide my aim and keep it true,” Arethusa whispered as she drew back her bow. With a release of breath, she let her arrow fly straight into the shoulder of the stag she had been stalking for hours, piercing both lungs and heart in a fast, clean kill. Tired, filthy, but delighted, she ran after the stag, following its trail as its life ebbed away. When finally it collapsed onto the sweet, fragrant grass and breathed its last breath, Arethusa knelt and placed a hand on the majestic beast, saying a quick prayer of thanks to the gods and the creature for its sacrifice. 

In time, after a lengthy dressing of the stag, Arethusa dragged her kill to the river and deposited it on a flat rock to bathe away the evidence of her arduous work. She quickly stripped herself of her garment and unbound her hair before stepping into the cool, rushing water. 

Tired limbs relaxed, and skin washed clean, she began her ascent to dry land when a rushing noise, louder than the cry of an eagle, filled the glade, closing in on all sides of her, making Arethusa feel trapped inside a vessel she could not escape. Her heart began to race in fear as the sound undulated all around, a watery beat pulsing through her. 

Quickly, she clambered up and over the bank of the river and retrieved her clothing, hastily donning the garment and fastening it over her shoulder. She raced to her kill, intending to grab what she could and run when out of nowhere, a rush of water swirled up and out of the river. It circled her legs like a serpent poised to strike. 

Arethusa cowered in fear, not knowing which god she had angered or why. Her hands covered her ears, and she shrank back from the wall of water that now grew to great heights above her. All at once, the water fell with a resounding splash, and standing in front of her was the river god, Alpheus, eyeing her with unmasked lust. She scrambled backward until she hit a large boulder, cornered like the very animal she had stalked to its demise. 

“Well, hello, little nymph,” he leered. “What are you doing so far from your sisters?” He stepped closer, and she felt a trickle of sweat roll down her back—her body’s response to the terrible fate that awaited her should this god so desire her. 

“H-hunting. A sacrifice to the goddess Artemis to be s-served at a f-feast,” she stuttered. He only roared with laughter at her fear before his face darkened with anger. 

“Artemis. The one who would deny me, you give offerings and praise?”

“I do not quarrel with you,” she pleaded. “I only offer what I can in thanks for Artemis’ blessings.”

“Blessings, hmm?” Alpheus hummed, eyeing her up and down. “I must say, you are quite a blessing yourself, bathing your body in my river, offering yourself to me.” He sneered at her then, and Arethusa frantically searched for an escape. 

“I did nothing of the sort! I only wanted to wash clean!”

“Perhaps I should take you as an offering myself. Teach Artemis to be more mindful of her followers and their comings and goings.”

Arethusa felt blindly around for anything with which to defend herself, almost crying out in relief when her hand found a cold, hard stone the size of a pomegranate. She closed her eyes and began to pray. 

“Artemis, defender of maidens, I beg of you. Please ensure my safety from this god who would seek to do me harm in your name. Please. I praise you and honor you. I seek your favor.”

Her hand closed around the stone, and she heaved with all her might, hitting the offending god in the face. His deafening roar of fury at her refusal rang in her ears until a small voice whispered inside her mind. 

“Run, child.”

Faster than she ever thought her feet could carry her, Arethusa ran. Through the trees that snagged her garments and tore at her limbs, she ran. Stumbling, abrading her palms and knees on the uneven forest floor, she still pulled herself up and ran until her lungs were bursting with the effort. At long last, a light shone brightly beyond a clump of trees. Arethusa knew at once that Artemis had not forsaken her. 

“Quickly, child,” came the voice of the goddess, filling Arethusa with a comforting light. She ran into Artemis’s open arms. 

“You dare interfere, Artemis?” Came the angry god’s voice behind Arethusa. She whimpered and clung to the goddess, hoping against hope that soon this would all be over. 

“The child is under my protection and should have the right to choose who she gives herself to, be it god or man,” Artemis decreed. Her voice, strong and resounding, showed more confidence and command than any mortal man. Alpheus became enraged at the words of the goddess who had spurned him, protecting the mere nymph who had done the same. 

“Then I curse her!” Alpheus raged. “Having denied me, I now deny her. She will exist, alone, for eternity, soulless, as constant as the bubbling spring. To sleep would mean death.” His voice sank low, deadly and mocking as he addressed the maiden. “You value your choices, child? You have only this one left to make. Life or death. On your terms.”

With a tremendous crashing wave, Alpheus disappeared, leaving Arethusa shaking like a leaf in the arms of her protector. 

“Fear not, little one,” Artemis crooned. “I cannot remove the curse, but I can amend it. You will exist, awake, constant as the bubbling spring, until the one arrives who will restore your soul and set you free.”

“Who will it be?” Arethusa cried. “How will they do this?”

“The son of the right hand will arrive alone. With time, he will declare himself to you. When his heart is yours, then you will sleep.”

Arethusa felt her body quiver as she began to change form. She reached toward Artemis in fear before she suddenly disappeared, leaving nothing but a splash and the sudden appearance of a cool, clear stream. 

* * *

_Present-day…_

Thin, gnarled twigs and dried tree leaves cracked and crunched under the weight of his body as Ben Solo sat under a gnarled tree by a bubbling spring. He cupped his hands and drew out a drink of water, shimmering in the moonlight, thankful that he had stumbled upon the source after what felt like hours wandering in the forest. 

The clerk at the front desk had warned him about setting off for a hike so late in the afternoon. Still, the cocksure, arrogant son of war hero Han Solo and renowned politician Leia Organa, was never one to take orders, let alone advice, from someone he would typically not give the time of day. Thus he found himself wandering, in the dark, with no phone, no food, hopelessly lost. Utterly alone. 

It was something he was used to—being alone. He’d spent his life since his late teens on his own, making his way in life rather than relying on the influence of his family name. He had no use for it, or his biological family, considering his parents had been emotionally distant since day one. Ben had learned to rely on himself rather than his family. 

For him, his chosen family—Poe, his husband Finn, their best friend Rose, was all he needed to get by. He wasn’t alone in that sense, but the older he got, the more he felt the need for something. Someone with which he could share his life. As his friends paired off and began to start their own families, Ben ached for something he never really had. 

He let his mind pour over those thoughts like pebbles tumbling through the water. It touched at something inside him that brought back the longing for home that he had become adept at pushing away. Here, lost in the darkened forest, in the quiet stillness broken only by the melodic burbling of the stream, Ben had never quite felt so profoundly alone. 

He sighed wearily. “At least I’m not walking in circles anymore. This is new,” he said to himself, cupping his hands once more to slake his thirst with the cool, clean water. He leaned back against the rough bark of the tree and closed his eyes for a moment, hoping a few minutes of rest would give him the strength he needed to find his way back to the hunting lodge and his circle of friends who were likely worried sick at his absence. 

Ben began to drift a bit, his tired body relaxing against the tree, the scent of foliage, fresh air, and the sound of the stream rushing over the rocks lulling him into tranquility when at once he heard a loud splash and was doused with water. His eyes flew open, and he sputtered as water cascaded down his face, making the front of his cashmere sweater a ruined mess. Wiping the moisture from his face, he noticed a woman standing in front of him, smiling innocently, like a dying man’s mirage in the desert. 

_She’s here to save you. And you’re here to save her,_ came the wayward thought entering unbidden into his mind. Ben gave himself a shake at the idea and stood to face this stranger.

“Jesus Christ! Where did you come from?”

“Are you lost, traveler?”

“Yeah, I, uh, was walking, and I made a wrong turn, and—” he stopped and looked around, not seeing any type of transportation or shelter in the vicinity. “Where did you come from?” he repeated. 

“Here, of course.” Her nose wrinkled in confusion as if Ben should have already known the answer and what a silly question that was. “I might ask the same of you,” she continued. “Is that your name? Jesus Christ?”

Ben looked to see if his friends were hanging around, hidden behind the trees, and laughing at his predicament. “What? Who are you?”

“I am Arethusa,” she replied with a respectful nod of her head. “Daughter of Nereus. I am the undine of this forest.” 

“Undine? Are—what are you talking about? Seriously lady, where did you come from?”

Laughter, clear and sweet, like the calm water spilling over rocks, erupted from her, causing her entire body to ripple before his eyes. Ben was worried he was hallucinating from dehydration and took another drink of water. 

“I came from the spring. The one from which you quench your thirst. Without permission, I might add.” She tsked his impropriety. “You are handsome, however, so I will not punish you for your disrespect this time.” 

“Am I dead?” Ben blurted, running a shaky hand through his hair, shaking out the water like a wet dog. 

“No. Not yet.” 

“Is this a dream?”

“That remains to be seen, metaphorically speaking. More than one mortal has told me over the centuries that I am a dream come true,” she grinned mischievously. 

“Did Poe send you? Is that what this is? Is he fucking with me because I got lost?”

“I do not know what a poe is. Is that a new god? What is that tablet of obsidian you carry with you?” She gestured to the iPhone resting in Ben’s lap. “What is fucking?”

“This has to be a joke.”

The woman shrugged. “I am not one to tell jokes. I do not get the opportunity to speak with mortals very often, although I have watched and listened to them as they pass by from time to time. Perhaps you could share a joke with me. Do you know any?”

“You’re asking me if I know any good jokes?” he asked, incredulously. 

“Is that wrong?”

“No. Not wrong. Just weird. Look,” he sighed, “I don’t have time to joke around. It’s dark, I’m tired, and my phone died. Can you help me find the way back to the lodge or not?”

“Ahh. The dwelling to the south. Yes. I can certainly help you with that. Come, Jesus Christ. Follow me.” She held her hand out to him in invitation.

“No. No, that’s. Come on,” he laughed. “Okay, I guess that’s funny, Miss I Don’t Tell Jokes. But the name’s Ben. Ben Solo.”

“Ben,” she repeated. Her tongue pressed against the roof of her mouth as if she were tasting the final consonant. “Come with me, then, Ben.” Something about the way she said his name caused an involuntary twitch in his pants, and he tried to adjust himself without her noticing. He cleared his throat gruffly and gestured with his arm.

“Lead the way.”

They walked in silence for a while, Ben glancing at her occasionally, trying to get a better look at her. 

She really was incredible. Chestnut hair piled in riotous curls atop her head, tendrils spilling over her freckled shoulders. A smattering of the same freckles dusted across her rosy cheeks. She was smiling as she walked, genuine, joyful, causing a deep dimple to form in her cheek and pulling a smile from him in return. He couldn’t help but feel happy in her presence, which was odd, considering he was a miserable bastard most of the time. 

Her eyes were a deep golden-brown and green combination that were lively and twinkled with merriment but also held a hint of sadness as if they had seen more than anyone so young should see. Her body was tall, athletic, and draped in a type of tunic fastened over one shoulder with a bronze clasp. She looked, for all the world, like a Greek goddess. 

“Did you just come from a costume party?” 

She stopped and looked down at herself in confusion, then back up to Ben. “No. I told you I came from the spring. I am an undine.”

“An undine. Right.” He nodded and frowned, chewing his lip in deep thought, trying to come up with a definition for the word and failing miserably. They walked a bit more in silence until Ben could not help his curiosity a minute longer. 

“What is an undine?”

She grinned at him again, a broad, toothy grin. Ben was momentarily stunned by the magnetic pull to the simple beauty in her face and the easy, relaxed manner with which she held herself. He stumbled a bit, and she giggled, reminding him again of the tinkling sound of water. 

“An undine,” she began, “is elemental.”

“Elemental,” he repeated slowly, trying to figure out whether he was making a wise choice following this woman who could potentially be dangerously unhinged or if he should just stay by the tree. Surely Poe would find him eventually. 

“Yes.”

He had to stop himself from preening, basking in her attention, like a child getting positive praise from a teacher. Yet, he felt refreshed at being the recipient of her joyful energy. It was an odd feeling, a tingling sensation in his chest, and he wasn't sure what to make of it. She could be delusional, ready to murder him if he looked at her cross-eyed. He cleared his throat and continued chatting to fill the space between them. 

“So, earth, air, fire, and water? The elements?”

“Water. Yes. I am a water nymph. I was a wood nymph in the cult of Artemis until I was metamorphosed into a spring as punishment for denying the river god Alpheus. In his anger, he cursed me to stay that way forever—a soulless undine, imprisoned in the water for eternity.”

“Uh, huh,” Ben nodded. 

_Well, shit. Dangerously unhinged, then,_ he thought. 

He moved slightly to the side, just out of her reach, and surreptitiously surveyed the clearing around him. The flora was bathed in bright moonlight, and he noticed a small path toward an opening through the trees just to his left. Ben cataloged that as an emergency exit, should escape became necessary. 

“Okay, I’ll play along. You a goddess or something? Controlling water like Katara?”

She rolled her eyes and shook her head, exasperated. “I am an _undine_ —a water nymph. I am not a goddess. I do not control anything. I move through the water, and it moves through me. No more, no less. This Katara you speak of. Is she a goddess? How does she control water? Is she a bride of Poseidon?”

“No, she’s a bride of the Avatar. Aang, the Last Airbender,” Ben snorted. Arethusa looked surprised, then thoughtful. 

“They sound fearsome. Two elements in harmony? Things certainly have changed in the millennia since my imprisonment,” she said sadly. 

Ben felt a strange sense of unease wash over him. She looked so sad; it made him feel guilty for teasing her. This was indeed a peculiar turn of events. Ben Solo, the legal bulldog, never felt guilty about anything. 

“Hey, I’m only joking. It’s just a story.”

She wrinkled her nose at him again in such prim disapproval, Ben laughed out loud, surprised at how easy it was to laugh with her. 

“So you do know jokes,” she chastised, arching a brow. “Hm. Well, I forgive your teasing, Ben. You are a lovely mortal. I’m certainly glad I decided to assist you.”

Ben felt a surge of warmth at her words. She was certifiable, that was obvious, but her charm and vivacity were a breath of fresh air. He was glad she decided to assist him too. He just needed to keep his distance in case she decided to snap and strangle him with her toga. 

“Thanks, uh, what did you say your name was?”

“Arethusa.” 

“Well, that’s a mouthful. Arethusa. Arey. Rey. Why don’t I call you Rey?”

She tried it out. “Rey. Yes, Ben, I like that very much. You may call me Rey.”

“So, Rey, it never occurred to me to ask until now why you’re roaming around the woods at night dressed like a gladiator’s girlfriend.”

Rey deliberated for a moment before speaking. 

“Well, first, I am dressed like this because it was how I was dressed when I was cursed. I have no need for anything other than this considering my situation.” She gestured to her skimpy attire. “And I only came to you,” she hesitated, uncertainty clouding her eyes. 

“What? Why?”

“Because I could feel your loneliness. It mirrored my own, and...I wanted to help.”

Ben had no idea how to react to her words. He must be giving off the depressed energy in waves for this strange person to pick up on all that. He kept quiet, choosing instead to mull over what she had said and follow her lead until they came within feet of a small clearing. Rey stopped abruptly and addressed Ben. 

“This is as far as I dare go, Ben Solo. The dwelling you seek is just beyond that copse. If you walk straight, you will be there.”

“What about you? It’s dark. Where will you go?”

“Back to where I belong,” she said sadly. 

“Rey. Do you need anything? Are you in trouble? Come with me,” he implored, holding his hand out to her, despite the warring emotions inside him. Part of him hoped she would take it, and part feared she wouldn’t. Mostly he was irritated that he could be seduced so easily by a pretty face with sad eyes and potentially end up on an episode of _Unsolved Mysteries_. 

“I am in no trouble as of yet. But if I were to leave the safety of the forest, I would be punished,” Rey whispered, her eyes darting from side to side, looking for something or someone. 

“By who? What is going on?”

She shook her head and shrugged. “I told you. I am bound.”

“Okay. Whatever,” Ben snapped, dropping his hand and cursing his stupidity. “Thanks for your help.” He set off to return to the lodge when Rey stopped him with a shout. 

“Ben, wait!” 

Ben turned to look at her, and she moved closer, looking worried. “You have an injury. Let me help you.”

Ben looked down and saw a long scratch on his forearm that he hadn’t noticed before. It had bled but had since stopped and was crusted with dirt and dried blood.

“Not a big deal,” he said, brushing off her concern.

“Give me your arm,” she insisted.

Rey grabbed his hand and held his arm in place while placing her free hand on his wound. He felt a rush of water flowing over it and gasped as the cut stitched itself together, the blood and dirt fading away to nothing as if by magic. 

His heart sped up and adrenaline coursed through his body, whether from fear or excitement, he couldn't tell. 

“What? How?”

She shrugged sheepishly, “Artemis may have given me one or two useful gifts.”

His mind whirled with the realization that this, whatever it was, was real.

“You’re real,” he said dumbly.

“Well, of course, I am,” she laughed. 

“But, you’re really real? And the water. I don’t understand any of this. Are you sure I didn’t get a head injury or collapse from dehydration? This isn’t some elaborate fever dream?”

Rey merely watched in silence as Ben ranted, slowly processing the fact that this was a situation he could not argue his way out of. 

“I think you’ll find you already know the answer to all of your questions if you only let yourself believe,” Rey replied. 

“This is just a lot to take in. Are you sure you can’t come with me? We could just talk. I. I can’t explain it, but I don’t want to leave you. And now that I know this is real, I want to find out more. I want to know more about you.”

Rey bit her lip and looked around, frowning before speaking. “There are eyes and ears everywhere. I mustn’t say any more at present. But do you think you can find your way back to me? Tomorrow?”

“I think so. You said the lodge was south, so I should walk north?”

“Yes. Find me tomorrow, and I will tell you more. And you can tell me about you, Ben. For now, I must leave you. Goodnight.”

Rey moved to leave, hesitated, and grabbed Ben by the shoulders, pulling him towards her. She kissed him then, unexpectedly. Her lips quickly ghosted over his before she disappeared with a laugh. Ben rubbed his hand over his eyes in disbelief, trying to come to terms with the fact that his world had just turned upside down. 

“Ben?! Jesus, man, where have you been? We were about to call the cops!”

Ben turned to see his best friend, Poe, coming towards him through the clump of trees, surveying Ben for any apparent injuries.

“Are you okay? What happened to you?”

“Went for a walk. Got lost. It took a while to get back. That’s all.”

Poe raised an eyebrow at Ben, taking in his damp, messy hair and rumpled clothes. Ben squirmed under Poe’s sharp eye. He was never one to miss a detail. Ben expected a barrage of questions that he wasn’t entirely sure how to answer. Instead, Poe shrugged and cuffed Ben on the arm. 

“Glad you’re okay, buddy. Everyone else will be relieved too. Maybe next time, don’t go hiking alone so close to sundown, eh?”

“Yeah, yeah,” Ben said, relieved not to have to explain just how he had returned and how he wasn’t exactly alone. 

Poe chuckled. “Come on, buddy, let’s get you a drink.”

Ben allowed Poe to lead him back to the lodge. Right before the clearing that began the lodge’s property line at the end of the forest, he turned around and saw a faint shimmering in the distance. He smiled to himself and wished Rey a good night. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [playlist of music that helped inspire this fic](https://open.spotify.com/playlist/025DbiI30KFuSpgnUK4sxY?si=i60P7FduTWi-axEYElFhjg)


	2. Chapter 2

Ben woke up the next day, better prepared for a forest hike. Up at the crack of dawn, he’d left a note for Poe saying he’d be out for a while, with a charged phone and a definitive return time. From there, he drove to the nearest town, thirty miles down the road, to purchase a backpack, food, water, and an external backup charger for his phone. He was determined not to end up in the same situation, lost without a way back, should he fail to find Rey. 

He felt an uneasy feeling in the pit of his stomach at the thought of not finding her and tried to shake it off but grew more impatient as time seemed to pass slowly the closer he got to the lodge. Upon his return, he loaded the backpack and began his trek into the forest, following the compass north until he could hear the sound of the stream getting closer. 

“Rey?” he shouted, not knowing if it was the right thing to do. How did one summon a water nymph? Was there some crazy ritual he didn’t know about? “Rey, are you here?” He pulled out his phone, holding it in the air in an attempt to get a strong enough signal to google his inquiry, when he heard a rhythmic splashing sound.

Jets of water shot up from the stream in unison, high into the sky, before falling back to earth in a watery mist. Ben was mesmerized by its brilliance as water continued to spray into the air and fall back down, like an aquatic ballet, circling and chasing jets back and forth and around the stream. It was mesmerizing, watching the sunlight stream through the mists, creating a prism of rainbows reflecting on the water. Ben laughed out loud, surprising himself at the simple joy of seeing water shoot into the sky. 

As the last drop hit the stream, it rippled and morphed before his eyes, taking the form of the woman that had danced through his dreams all night. She emerged from the water, her bare toes sinking into the soft earth beneath her, looking as fresh as a daisy, not a drop of water on her. Ben shook his head and grinned. 

“Bit dramatic, don’t you think?”

“I wanted to make it memorable,” Rey said, feigning wide-eyed innocence before shrugging and laughing merrily. “You came back.” 

“I did.” 

“I’m glad you did, Ben.”

Ben looked around nervously, not knowing what to say, reduced to a nervous teen on his first date with a pretty girl. 

“What, uh, what would you like to do?” he asked, waving his arms around lamely. Now that he was here, now that she was here, in their private Xanadu, he had no idea what to do next. 

“Will you sit with me for a while?” 

He nodded, and taking her outstretched hand, strolled over a slight incline up to a large, flat boulder, dappled with sunlight, set firmly into the ground. Ben opened his pack and took out a blanket, and proceeded to spread out the food and water.

“I thought we could have a picnic. If you want.”

Rey’s eyes widened with curiosity at the fruits, nuts, cheeses, and the bottle of wine set out on the rock before her. 

“It’s been so long since I had mortal food, I wouldn’t know where to start,” she stated, sitting on the stone, stretched like a cat in the sun. 

“What do you mean? That’s ridiculous. What do you eat?”

“It isn’t necessary. I indulge in what the forest provides on occasion, but I have not felt hunger in ages. Not for food, anyway,” she added with a telltale grin that shot through Ben’s body like electricity. 

He handed her a plastic cup of wine and another of trail mix with shaky hands. Rey took them gratefully and began to sample the offering, making small sounds of satisfaction that enthralled him. Her face took on the look of a starving person, and she dove into the food with a fervor that made him chuckle. She set aside the cheese she didn’t care for and devoured those she did, ate all the fruit and some nuts, and moaned with pleasure at the taste of a piece of chocolate. 

“I have never had this before. What is it?”

“It’s, uh, chocolate,” Ben replied, adjusting his pants surreptitiously so he didn’t frighten her with his physical response to her epicurean pleasure.

“It tastes like something reserved for the gods. It is wonderful,” she finished, popping another into her mouth. Ben noticed the chocolate smudges on her fingers and reached out to take her hand. 

“May I?” he asked. She looked quizzically at him as he drew her fingers into his mouth, his soft, warm tongue lapping the residual chocolate off her fingers. Rey snatched her hand away as if she had been burned and stared into his eyes, her rapid breathing the only thing giving away her excitement at his bold gesture. Ben was thrilled to see it matched his own. He grinned and licked a bit of chocolate off his own finger, enjoying watching her face flush a delicate rosebud pink.

“T-Tell me about yourself, Ben,” she stammered. “What is your life like? Where do you live? Tell me about your family.”

Ben shrugged off her question, not wanting to go into detail about his bizarre family and their decade-long estrangement. 

“There’s not much to tell. We don’t get along very well and haven’t spoken in years. I’d much rather hear about your family.” 

She gave him a look that held such sadness and sorrow he wanted to take her in his arms and protect her like a little lost puppy. “I have none,” she said quietly. “Not anymore.” 

Realization dawned on him, followed by embarrassment. “I wasn’t thinking, Rey. I’m sorry.” They both grew quiet for a few minutes, munching on the remaining snacks and sipping wine before Ben tried again. “How long have you been here?”

Rey thought a moment before answering. “What is time, really? The rising and setting of suns? I have seen many sunlit skies; many stars move across the sky. I stopped counting a very long time ago.” 

“Isn’t it lonely?” 

“It can be,” she replied, setting her cup down and hugging her knees to her chest. “Other times, I have the birds and forest animals for company. It’s not all bad. It’s quiet.” 

“How did you, I mean, what exactly happened to you to have you end up like this?”

Rey leaned back on her elbows, her face turned up into the afternoon sun, and closed her eyes. She remained quiet for a long period as if dredging up such a troubled memory took time and effort to give the retelling justice. 

“I was young, as young as I seem to you now in body, but much younger in spirit. It was in that spirit of youth that I believed no harm would ever come to me.”

Ben relaxed on the blanket, his head resting on his arm, when Rey drew closer to him, allowing him to place his head in her lap. She stroked his hair as she spoke, and it was his turn to bask in her light, drinking in her touch.

“I had just finished a hunt, dressed the deer, and was bathing in the river when Alpheus, the river god, demanded I submit to him.”

“Submit how?” Ben’s eyes snapped open, and he looked at her intently, a flash of anger on his face. She only smiled at him sadly.

“I think you are very much aware of my meaning,” she replied. Ben’s jaw tightened, and he moved to get up, ready to fight an unknown assailant, when Rey soothed him. “Shh. It is alright, Ben. It was long ago.” Ben relaxed back into her embrace and closed his eyes. “Shall I continue?”

“Yes. I’m sorry. Go ahead.”

As the sun moved across the sky and long into its descent into the horizon, Rey related her tale of woe, all the while stroking his hair and enjoying the ability to touch another after being alone for so long. She ended her story with Artemis’ amendment to her curse, leaving out the part that mentioned Ben, for Rey now knew he was the one prophesied to come to her. The son of the right hand had indeed arrived alone. Ben Solo. Rey wanted to laugh at the absurdly specific proclamation as much as she wanted to curse its necessity openly. 

“And so I go on,” she finished, “without purpose or peace. Existing day in and day out, waiting for something that will never come.” 

“It doesn’t make any sense,” Ben said after a time. Rey had assumed he had fallen asleep as a child lulled into dreams by a bedtime story. But he had been listening, analyzing her tale, quietly trying to make sense of it all. 

“What do you mean?”

“Why leave you to just exist without an end? Even the simplest of fairy tales have a way to break the spell,” he stated. He sat up, meeting her gaze, now animated in his explanation. 

“There is always a witch to outsmart, a wall to climb, a villain to defeat. It’s what makes a fairytale a fairytale.”

Rey reached out to touch his face, brushing his hair back and caressing his soft skin. Ben lifted his hand up to hers in response and loosely gripped her finely boned wrist, turning his head to place a kiss to the center of her palm. She gasped at the contact and tried to pull away, as she had before, but he only released his grip a bit, enough to slide his hand from her wrist to press his palm to hers. His large hand engulfed hers, and he felt the overwhelming need to protect her, this delicate beauty who had been treated so unfairly, from anything that could further hurt her. He curled his hand, threading his fingers between hers and pulling her into his arms.

“Arethusa,” he whispered. “My Rey.”

When he was fifteen, Ben’s first kiss behind the bleachers at a hometown football game with Kaydel Connix was thrilling in that she was the first. A sweet, blond cheerleader. Popular and kind to everyone. He remembered it for a long time after, romanticizing it for years—the standard by which to measure all first kisses. 

The first kiss he shared with Rey blew every single one—including that very first on that chilly September Friday night—out of the water. 

He slowly lowered his lips to hers, softly brushing them in the tenderest of touches, surprised to find her melt in his arms, her lips a warm, soft taste of heaven. She kissed him back, her lips pliant and open, just as eager to have him as he was her. He moaned softly at her response and deepened the kiss, sweeping his tongue inside to taste her.   


She was the sweetest water under the hottest sun, the honeyed wine after a long day’s work, and the soothing warmth of a bedtime brandy burning into his veins. They breathed each other’s air, becoming one with the simplest press of lips together, moving, giving, taking, wordlessly knowing where to push and pull, without knowing where one began and the other ended. It was a pure, sweet rush of innocent desire, destined to spark a flame that would burn everything Ben had ever known down to ash. 

Rey pulled away first, gasping his name with a broken sob and clutching desperately at his arms as if she were afraid she would float away. He held her to him and threaded his hands through her hair, pulling him toward her to reclaim what he knew was meant to be his. 

“Rey, come back with me,” he breathed hotly against her lips. “I can take care of you. I can show you the world.” He began to trail moist kisses down her neck before she pushed him away. 

“What is it?” he asked, startled. “Oh shit. I just realized what I said. Yeah, I know; it’s cheesy. I guess I’ve seen Aladdin too many times.” He stopped when he realized she was more disappointed than amused. “What’s wrong?”

“I thought you understood, Ben. I cannot leave. I am bound to this forest for eternity.” 

“That’s just ridiculous. There has to be a way,” he argued, drawing her close again, only to have his heart leap with fear as she struggled away. 

“I grow weary of you calling me ridiculous, Ben.”

Terrified she was going to disappear, Ben grasped at her hand, looking up at her with pleading eyes. He would not lose her; he couldn’t. He hadn’t felt anything in so long—until her.

“I don’t think you’re ridiculous, Rey. Not at all. But this, this curse.  _ It  _ is ridiculous. Old fashioned. Outdated. There has to be a loophole. In any contract, there’s always a loophole.” 

“What is a loophole?” 

“A way out. A way to break the curse.” 

A memory surfaced at that moment, crowding out the despair at Ben’s words. A voice long forgotten planted itself firmly in Rey’s mind. 

_ When his heart is yours, then you will sleep. _

But what did it mean? The last thing she wanted was to hurt him. She felt whole when he was near as if a part of her she hadn’t known was missing suddenly fit into place. She knew the gods could twist a turn of phrase to suit their purpose. There was no way she could risk a literal interpretation of Artemis’ words.

She would rather exist for eternity, awake with Ben’s memory, than to sleep one night with the nightmare of him gone too soon from this world, all because of her. 

“There is no way,” she lied. “Just let me go. Live your life. Do not worry about me. And if one day, you should ever return, I’ll be here.” She turned away so he would not see the tears escaping her eyes.

“I don’t want to leave.” He returned quickly. The unexpected anguish in his voice tore at her, made her want to curse the gods as she never had before. 

Instead, she wiped her eyes and steeled herself. 

“You must.” 

“I won’t leave you.”

Rey turned back toward him and angrily shouted, “What do you think will happen if you do not? You live in a different world, Ben Solo. A world much more vast than mine. Mine is here. This forest. You cannot stay here.” 

“I can buy the lodge. I’ll live there. I’ll see you every day.” 

“Now you are the one being ridiculous. And it is not fair. You will have but half a century left, and I will have to go on like this, watching you age and die. I will not do it. I will not.” 

The tears she had been fighting back came unbidden, with a vengeance, shocking them both as she dissolved into sobs. Ben pulled her into his arms, relieved when she did not fight him, and kissed her hair, comforting her as best he could considering his limited experience. To hold her felt natural, easy, like his ability to feel and his capacity for love and compassion only existed once she had come into his life. 

“Can’t you feel it, Rey?” he whispered. “There is something here. We are meant to be together. I can feel it.” 

“I won’t give myself to you for what will amount to a brief, shining moment, only to be left alone again for eternity,” she cried into his chest, holding him tightly, belying her words. “I wish you had never come. I should never have approached you.” 

“I don’t believe you. I’m not sorry you did.”

“Please, don’t. It isn’t safe for you, Ben. You would go mad. There have been others. Others claimed they wanted me. But it cannot be. They returned time after time, begging and pleading, staying by the stream, staring into it like Narcissus until death claimed them. I stopped interacting with mortals because of it. I am terrified I have cursed you with the same fate. I am nothing to give you. Not even myself. I am nobody. You must let me go. I promise it can be like we never met.”

Her sobs increased in their intensity, breaking his heart for her, bit by bit. He held her face in his hands, wiping the tears from her freckled cheeks and staring into her sparkling eyes.

“You’re not nothing, Rey. Not to me.”

“Ben, please don’t do this. I cannot stay with you nor you with me. Please. For your sake. You have to go and forget me.”

She began to shimmer as a soft rain began to fall, and Ben grew frantic at the sight, knowing what it meant. She was going to leave him, and there was nothing he could do to stop her. 

“No. Rey, no. Don’t go. Please.”

“Goodbye, Ben,” she said, her voice choked with emotion. In a futile effort to stop her, he reached out only to find himself once again completely alone. 

For a long time after she was gone, Ben sat in stony silence, barely able to tell the difference between the fresh rain and the salty tears dampening his sun-kissed cheeks. 


	3. Chapter 3

_**Two months later...** _

The sky was a gloomy gray, as it had been for the past sixty-one days, nineteen hours, and twelve minutes. Ever since Rey disappeared from his life, taking the sunlight with her. 

Life—as Ben was living it—had become mundane, routine, the same thing every day. 

_ It’s like living in the movie Groundhog Day,  _ Ben thinks to himself with a rueful laugh. 

At least in that movie, the main character can be with the one he wants every day. 

It was as if he had opened a floodgate of emotion that he could not seem to shut. Feelings buried deep for nearly half his life now overwhelmed him day after day, leaving him at the mercy of his heartache, with no hope of an end. 

A long-forgotten adage his mother used to say came back to him without warning. He could hear her raspy voice as if she were sitting next to him, lecturing him on his sullen behavior. 

“Hope is like the sun. If you only believe it when you see it, you'll never make it through the night.”

Ben reacted the same way he had as a teenager, with a scoff and an eye roll. 

He’d basked in the sunlight for a day and had watched it disappear. Knowing it was still there—believing in it when he couldn’t see it was what made it impossible to get through the night. 

Crack!

The pencil he’d been gripping in his hand, white-knuckled, veins bulging with the strain, snapped in half, disrupting the silence in his office, startling Poe out of his concentration. Ben was supposed to be going over their current case’s legal documents, as Poe was doing, but couldn’t find the energy to focus on petty disputes amongst the bored elite. He tossed the twin halves of the pencil on his mahogany desk and muttered a stilted apology at Poe, who eyed him with a keen understanding borne of almost a lifetime of friendship. 

“You know, Ben,” he started, taking off his thin, wire-rimmed glasses and running his hand through his thick salt and pepper curls, “you’ve been pretty goddamn unbearable since we got back from vacation. I mean, you’ve always been a grumpy bastard, but these last two months—well, it’s been hard to watch. Is there anything you need? Anything I can do to help you get through,” he gestured vaguely, “whatever this is?”

Ben shuffled uneasily in his chair, opening his desk drawer and pulling out a replacement pencil, spending an inordinate amount of time sharpening the instrument while simultaneously avoiding Poe’s question. When the graphite tip was sharp enough to cut, Ben quietly placed it on the blotter, pushing away from his desk with a sigh. 

He walked across the office to look out at the dreary afternoon, watching the pedestrians hurriedly shuffle along the sidewalks, all of them glancing up occasionally towards the storm clouds rolling in, threatening to drench them before they could complete their appointments. Each one was completely oblivious to the fact that there was so much more out there than what was on their to-do lists. 

“I don’t want to talk about it,” he said, finally, turning toward the cabinet on the opposite side of the room and pulling out a cut crystal decanter and two glasses. He poured himself two fingers worth of the amber liquid and raised the bottle in Poe’s direction, a silent offering to commiserate. The office’s low light managed to shine just enough on the expensive crystal to spray shattered rainbows across the plush carpet. Poe smiled sadly and declined with a shake of his head. 

“Ben,” he sighed, “you can’t keep doing this to yourself. Whatever it is, it’s eating you up from the inside. It’s worse than when you split up with your family. And not only is it hard to watch as a friend, now it’s spilling into work. You have people— _ clients _ —worried. And nobody in the office wants to even be around you. In case you haven’t noticed.”

“What do you want me to do about it?” Ben snapped. “I can’t control how people feel about me.” 

Poe threw his pencil onto the desk and stood, coming face to face with his best friend. 

“I want you to take some time off and get your head out of your ass.”

For a brief moment, red hot rage crept up Ben’s neck and into his face, reaching the tips of his ears like hot lava threatening to erupt. Just as quickly, his face turned to a more natural color, and he sagged a bit, his shoulders slumping in defeat; all fight had gone out of him. 

“I can’t be alone, Poe,” he stated sadly. Poe frowned and clapped a hand on Ben’s shoulder, giving it a rough squeeze. 

“Tell me why.”

“I—,” Ben began and stopped, his eyes glazing over as he lost himself in her memory. 

“Ben?”

“I see her everywhere,” he said suddenly. 

Poe could feel the tangible despair in this quiet declaration.

“Rey?” he asked, knowing that, of course, she was the reason. Ben had talked of nothing but Rey when Poe could finally get him to share the minor bits of information about his time alone in the forest. 

Ben nodded and threw back his drink, wincing at the burn in his throat. He turned to pour another shot when Poe stopped him, grabbing the bottle and pulling it out of his reach. Ben huffed a dry laugh at his friend’s behavior. 

“She’s in the rain out there, in the fountain down in front of the office, in the river I drive past every day to and from work. In my dreams. I can’t stop seeing her, Poe. I need her. I feel—I don’t know how to describe it, except—empty. Like a hole in my soul I didn’t even know existed has gotten bigger and bigger until now I have the Grand fucking Canyon right here,” he finished, slapping his palm on his chest.

“Ben, we were there for a weekend. You’re telling me all this is for a girl you knew less than seventy-two hours?”

“You don’t get it,” Ben said with a shake of his head. He returned to his desk and rested his head on the gleaming wood. 

“I’m trying to. Help me understand, man.”

“Poe, if I told you, you’d have me locked up in the psych ward for observation.”

Poe laughed and returned to his seat across from Ben.

“Look. If she’s that important to you, just do what I said and take some time off. Go talk to her.” 

“She doesn’t want me,” Ben groaned into the surface of his desk. 

“Did she tell you that?”

The silence that followed the question gave Poe his answer. He grunted in amusement. 

“Is this the tenacious asshole Ben Solo who I’ve known my whole life? The same man who left a toxic family situation rather than allow them to dictate his future? The one who worked his ass off to get to where he is now? Ben Solo, who has made grown adults cry in court? Is this you  _ giving up _ ?”

Ben looked up and flashed a glare at Poe. Poe continued, undeterred. 

“Naw. That’s not you, Ben. So take another chance. Talk to her. Don’t give up. Because seriously, you’re driving us  _ all _ fucking crazy.”

For the first time in two months, Ben was able to laugh with genuine amusement. Poe was right. He needed to get his head out of his ass, stop moping, and start acting. He needed to find the loophole. He was sure there had to be one, no matter what Rey said. 

“Okay,” he agreed, much to Poe’s noticeable relief.

“Finally. Good. Now go home.”

“Thanks, Poe,” Ben said as he gathered his things and slipped on his jacket. Poe just snorted, glasses back on, nose buried in paperwork.

“Just make sure I get a wedding invitation.”

* * *

The dream had been the same every time he was able to dream. He was running through a forest, shrouded in mist, until he reached a river that carried him to the sea. 

_ “Be with me.” _

He could hear her calling to him. Could see the shape of her, in some type of cave, underwater. It was dark; shadows closed in all around her. She looked frightened as she hurried away. 

_ “Be with me.” _

Ben climbed through the cave until he reached a crystal blue pool, fed by a rushing waterfall. Every crash of the ocean outside, every rush of water as it reached its destination, was a sigh on her lips—a cry of sadness. 

_ “Be with me.” _

He found himself standing at the waterfall, reaching out to touch her hand and finding his progress impeded by a wall of ice. He could see her, trying to break through the ice to no avail. Trapped. 

_ “Ben,”  _ he could hear her call, even as her lips stayed unmoving, the cave silent but for the rush of water. _ “Where is your heart?” _

_ “You have it, Rey. It’s yours.” _

He jerked awake, sitting bolt upright in bed, noticing the sunlight spilling onto his bed for the first time in weeks. All at once, he knew what he had to do; he only hoped he had the strength to do it. 

Ben had never told anyone he loved them before. He couldn’t even remember the last time he told his parents that before their falling out. Realizing that he was in love with Rey should have been frightening, if not a bit concerning, considering their short time spent together. But Ben had never been more certain of anything. He needed to find Rey and tell her he loved her. It was how he was going to break the curse. 

This was their fairy tale, after all. 

The tires of his car slipped and skidded on the dirt road that led to the hunting lodge. Loose, wet gravel pelted his vehicle’s undercarriage while the rain fell heavily, increasing its intensity the closer he got to his destination. Ben cringed at the sound of his paint job deteriorating with every mile he clocked on the GPS. His windshield wipers worked overtime as he squinted, trying to see past the sheets of water pouring down on him. It was as if the mythical gods were trying to keep him away from her, but he was determined not to stop, no matter how dangerous the drive was getting. 

Ben cursed as a huge rut in the road caused the car to dip, sinking into the fresh mud and coming to a standstill in the center of the road. He pressed hard on the gas pedal, hoping that would help propel him out of the apparent sinkhole he now found himself in, but it was no use. The car was officially stuck. 

“Fuck!” he shouted, slamming his hand on the steering wheel. 

He was not far from the lodge from what he could tell on his GPS, which meant he could walk to her from where he was. He looked out the window and groaned, knowing he’d be soaked as soon as he left the car. Even though he knew it was fruitless, he grabbed his jacket from the backseat and threw it on, bracing himself for what was waiting on the outside. 

The icy cold rain spattered his face like needles pressing into his skin. As he predicted, within seconds, he was drenched, his hair plastered to his face and clothes sticking to his body. Still, he trudged on, hoping he was headed in the right direction.

“Rey!” he shouted, hoping she could hear him over the wailing wind. “Rey!” 

Nothing. Not a sound apart from the noise of nature battering him from every direction. But he could feel something. A pull drawing him closer. It had to be her. He broke into a run just as he heard a mournful call, like a siren leading sailors to their death. It sent a chill up his spine, even with the freezing blasts of rain dousing his body.

“Rey?! Where are you?”

_ “Be with me, Ben.” _

“I’m coming, Rey!” he shouted, right before his foot kicked a large stone, sending him toppling straight into the water. Taken by such surprise, he gasped, inhaling a mouthful, all the while choking and sputtering, trying to sense which way was up. His lungs were burning; he needed to get to Rey. He needed to breathe. Frantically, he tried to claw his way to the surface, but unseen hands were pulling him down, not allowing him to break free. The last thought Ben had before he lost consciousness was that Greek gods were assholes. 

* * *

Rey was horrified to see Ben sink under the surface as soon as she reached the river. 

She had heard his heart calling to her over the many weeks since fate had separated them. Time had never mattered to her before, but without Ben, each rising and setting of the sun signaled a millennia worth of loneliness. 

She had tried to avoid his call, but it was impossible. The empty part of her that had been cold and hollow for so long now ached for him. She had to see him again. She needed him too much. Now, just as she had chosen to accept the fact that she did not want to exist without him, she saw him dive into the river and then disappear, leaving nothing but a ripple in his wake.

Terror gripped her at the thought of the horrible river god Alpheus stealing yet another thing from her. This terror manifested into a fiery rage borne from centuries of cruel fate at the hands of a spiteful god. She would take it no longer. With a fierce cry, she dove in after Ben with practiced grace and fluidity, a testament to her time spent as a part of the water. She moved with speed unseen in the mortal world, cutting through the water with only a single thought propelling her forward. Save Ben. 

It was easier than she thought it would be. Something inside her had always been there, but at that moment, it awakened, guiding her to him as if an invisible string were connecting them. In no time, she cast her eyes upon him, sinking like a heavy stone into the murky depths. Panic struck at the thought that she may have lost him until she felt the steady beat of his heart pulsing through the water, like a form of communication only she could understand. 

Rey swooped down, kicking her feet hard to reach him, neither tired nor breathless, only determined to take what belonged to her. 

Her hands reached out to pull him closer, and she pressed her lips to his, breathing life into him, and his eyes opened. He looked around frantically, jerking with fear as he noticed where he was. Rey only placed her fingers against his lips and willed him to relax. There were no words. No sounds. Nothing that he could use as proof to explain how he could not only breathe but that he was not dying; he was safe. 

Rey pulled him to the surface, and Ben gasped in great lungfuls of air, amazed that he was alive, that she was here, that it had miraculously stopped raining. He looked at her in shock, her hair already dried into a chestnut halo of curls framing her beautiful face, while he knew he must look like a drowned rat.

“How did you do that?” he sputtered. “You don’t have gills do you?”

Rey shook her head and frowned, scrunching her nose in confusion. 

“I’m not a fish, you mortal fool. What were you thinking, diving in like that in the middle of a storm? You could have been hurt.” She shivered at the thought as she pulled him to the bank of the river and relative safety.

They had reached the bank before Ben answered. He breathed heavily with exertion, noticing Rey did not look like she had put forth any effort at all. He looked at her sheepishly and wiped the water streaming down his face.

“I didn’t dive. I, uh, tripped. I don’t know what happened. Then I just kind of sunk. And I couldn’t find a way out. I never learned to swim.” 

Rey was visibly flustered at this revelation. “You came to search for me at a river, not knowing how to swim? You are the most exasperating mortal, Ben Solo.” 

A dawning realization came over him as she spoke, and Ben pulled her in a fierce embrace, holding her tightly, desperate to not let her leave again. 

“You saved me,” he said.

“Of course I did. You came back to be with me. I couldn’t just let you—” Her voice trailed off as her body began to shake with sobs. Rey sagged into him as she poured her worry, her terror, and desperation into his already sopping shirt. 

He held her while she cried, whispering words of reassurance and pressing kisses to her hands, cheeks, and hair. After a while, she quieted, and Ben calmly stood, offering her his hand. Wordlessly, she took it, and he led her back to the rock they had once picnicked upon to lay atop it, the surface remarkably warm and dry. The rain was a distant memory, and the sun broke free of its gray prison, so the two spent a while lying quietly in its warmth, drying in the sun. 

“I have been miserable without you, Rey. I can’t sleep. Nothing feels right. When I do manage to dream, I see you, standing behind a wall—”

“Of ice,” she finished for him. He gaped at her, unable to understand how she knew.

“How did you—?”

“I have seen you there.” She stared at his face, still unsure if it was all real, then pointed towards a small opening on the side of the mountain. “Out there, behind the waterfall, calling for me. It hurt so much to know that you were so close but that I could never touch you.” 

He lifted her hand, bringing it to his face and closing his eyes to savor the feel of her. 

“Touch me now.”

Her hand on his cheek slipped around the back of his neck to pull him closer, while her other hand threaded through his disheveled hair, holding him to her as she kissed him. Her tongue swept past his lips, and she took great pleasure in the texture and taste of his mouth on hers. His similarly enthusiastic response only spurred her on, creating a heated pleasure throughout her body. 

She was burning for him—a direct opposite of her nature. And like an inferno, nothing could stop her. She knew, as she ran her hands over his body, making fast work of his buttons and parting his shirt to press her tongue to his damp skin, that not even death could deter her from claiming him in this all-consuming fire that had built inside of her. She pulled herself away from his body to look into his eyes, falling into the amber depths darkened with want for her. 

“I want you to take me, Ben. I have never wanted god nor mortal as I want you. Will you?”

Ben could barely think straight. He had to shake off the haze of lust to process her question. When he did, he began to remove the rest of his clothes faster than he ever had before, cursing the wet fabric sticking to him like a second skin. Rey only giggled and unfastened the broach at her shoulder, holding her tunic aloft. Ben stopped and watched as the fabric fell unceremoniously to the stone, and she lay back, propped on her elbows, spreading herself for him.

“I am not certain how it is done, but I have seen the animals in the forest. Do you know what to do?”

“I do,” he said, a smirk on his face and amusement in his voice. Her body relaxed, relief apparent as she watched him with avid curiosity. “Just relax. I’m going to touch you. Is that alright?”

Her nod of consent released a flood of longing, and his hands were on her, everywhere, touching, grasping, massaging, caressing, until she was pulling him to her, pleading for something as yet unknown to relieve the exquisite pressure building inside of her. When his soft, plush lips pressed to the most sensitive, hidden part of her, she cried out in ecstasy, her hands threading through his hair, urging him closer. 

His mouth pulled at her flesh, his tongue pressed inside, all around, and Rey was dizzy with the feeling. She felt like a great eagle, preparing to take flight, until all at once she was soaring through the clouds, higher and higher, the world far below now as together they danced among the constellations, and she shouted his name as the stars shattered around them. 

“Was that?” she asked breathlessly. “Was that how it is done? That was beautiful, Ben.”

He laughed and kissed her flushed cheek, basking in the glow of her joy.

“That was just the beginning,” he said, moving over her. Rey caught sight of his hard length and her cheeks flushed red.

“Oh. Oh my. I would like that very much. Will you give yourself to me, Ben?” she asked, her body bared to him, wishing so much she had a soul to bare to him as well. Anything she had, she would gladly give him. 

“Everything I have is already yours, Rey,” he answered, sliding easily into her slippery heat, groaning at the exquisite tightness, the warmth, like a pool of light engulfing him. He gave his body to her then, making love, devoting himself to her with every touch, with every declaration. 

“My body.”

“My soul.”

“My heart.”

With each thrust, Rey gasped, feeling him deeper inside her than she ever thought possible. They were indeed one now. A dyad, once separated by time, now joined together, meant to be. 

Nothing before had ever felt so right, so perfect, as giving himself to her. He was offering his life to her with the movement of his body. Ben had never felt anything to measure up to the way she made him feel. She made him want to be better, stronger, worthy of every moment they were given together. As he pressed further, sliding in and out, he felt her pulling him to the precipice. 

“Ben, it’s happening again,” she cried, wrapping her legs around his body and holding on for dear life as he continued loving her. Once again, she reached the peak that she knew she would want to chase with him for the rest of their time together. Her tears of elation spilled over her cheeks as, with a final thrust, Ben poured himself into her, murmuring words of praise onto her damp skin.

“I love you, Rey.”

The world seemed to shimmer around the edges then, and Rey drifted into something she could not explain. The next thing she remembered was a series of images playing before her eyes. She was in a lovely city, looking out onto a park from a large glass window, watching people bustle about. Men, women, children, animals. All of them with purpose. She saw herself over a strange, small set of fires, each one with a container of some manner of steaming, bubbling concoction. She saw Ben laughing, his hands encased in large cloth pockets, pulling things out of what seemed to be a very hot container. The image shifted to her weaving threads into fine blankets, teaching Ben to hunt with a bow, planting flowers in a garden, splashing in a fountain. The final image, of her standing before him, his hands on her rounded belly, full with his child, made her heart beat rapidly with excitement.

She woke with a start, noticing that the sun had disappeared behind the trees, leaving a faint orange glow in its wake. She looked at Ben, surprised to see him still there, looking so relaxed in sleep, like coming home after a long day. She had no idea what to make of what she just saw, and felt terrible at waking Ben, but she needed him to confirm what she was too scared to believe.

“Ben. Ben, wake up.”

“What?” he muttered sleepily, yawning and moving to embrace her. She straddled him, excited to share her theory, and inadvertently getting his full attention. 

“Ben, I think—I think I slept. I haven’t slept since I was cursed.” 

_ When his heart is yours, then you will sleep. _

She remembered then what he said to her as they lazed in a sated heap, sunning themselves into slumber like lazy seals on the rocks. 

“Ben. Did you say you loved me?” she whispered, too scared to say it loud enough for the gods to hear her and mock her hope. 

“I did. I do.”

“You do?”

“Of course.”

“Say it again for me, Ben.” 

He sat up, and taking both her hands in his one, he held her, while caressing her freckled cheek. He looked into her eyes and Rey could feel a change coming over herself. 

“I love you, Arethusa. My Rey. Forever.”

“I love you too.”

As his lips touched hers, Rey did not hold back; she kissed him with an overwhelming passion that took his breath away. In all his dreams of loving her, he never let himself hope she would feel the same. And now—

“You broke the curse,” she cried. Tears streamed down her face, and she touched them in wonder. “You gave me back my soul. You saved me.” 

“We saved each other,” he said, drawing her close and holding her as she once more cried tears of relief and happiness. 

“I don’t know what to do,” she laughed through her tears. “I feel more alive right now than I ever have before. What happens next?”

“We live. We learn. We love each other. Everything else will fall into place as long as we’re together.”

“I will make mistakes, Ben. There is so much to learn. Are you certain you want me to be part of your world?”

Ben gave a surprised laugh at her question and planted a hard kiss on her upturned lips. 

“Absolutely, my little mermaid.”

Rey rolled her eyes in response to the misnomer. 

“Undine.”

“Whatever. Kiss me, nymph.”

And, with all her heart and soul, she did. 


End file.
